Applied Belief: Preparing for the end

The World will end Sept. 28. The moon will turn the color of blood and a gigantic asteroid will hit the earth. This is what some people believe will happen this month.

To be clear, I am not a prophet. I am also very aware that some people believe in prophecies and others don’t. Jesus himself stated that “a prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown” (Mark 6:4). An example of this is Jesus’ birth. Old Testament prophecies had foretold that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. When the Wise Men arrived, Israel was asleep for they had ignored the prophecies and the signs.

I say all of this because while we don’t want to be doomsday sayers necessarily and panic about what might or might not happen, we also don’t want to be ignorant of the signs and the biblical prophecies about the end times. One thing is clear, no matter how the end comes or when it comes the most important thing is to be ready. Not “ready” in terms of building bunkers and storing up foods and water, but ready spiritually. The only way to truly be ready is to believe and trust in Jesus the Messiah the Son of the Living God as your Lord and savior (Matthew 16:16-17, Acts 16:30-31, John 14:1-6). He is the only one that can save us from whatever comes.

Trusting in Jesus is something Christians talk about all the time but how can we really understand this concept? A good way that we can all relate to is the trust children develop with their mothers. Trust is one of the first things we learn as babies. From the moment of conception the child begins to bond with the mother. At birth the child knows the mother instantly and seeks her voice and comfort. Over those first 12-24 months that child will depend on the mother for everything. This is trust, when you don’t have to worry about anything because you know your mother will take care of you and spare you; save you from all harm. That is what it is like to trust in Jesus.

For Christians trusting in Jesus does not mean to sit back and look up at the sky and wait. When Jesus ascended into the heaven the disciples remained in shock looking up at the sky. While they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go” (Acts 1:10).

In other words, it’s time to honor their love and trust in Jesus by sharing with others; working on His behalf until he returned again.

Like the disciples we can easily become preoccupied with gazing up to the heavens trying to read the signs of the times to figure out when and how everything will end and when Jesus will return. This is a waste of time. Jesus, before he ascended, told his disciples “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:7-8).

For Christians then, the main objective should be to go into the world and be witnesses of the Gospel, the good news that proclaims that no matter how it all ends, a better life awaits after it all and it can only be found in Jesus.

All things must come to an end. This year marks the end of the Shemitah (Jewish) year, and the appearance of a fourth and final blood moon (Rev 6:12-14). Will these events lead to a stock market crash, a final world war due to the Iran deal or worse? Who knows! Our attitude though should be that of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who said “Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”

The Lord is coming in all of His glory. When it will happen no one knows. Jesus himself said “concerning that day and hour no one knows” Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming... be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:36,42 & 44).

Are you ready? I hope you are. If you aren’t, if you don’t know, if you don’t care, if all of this makes you scared, simply listen and follow the words of Jesus “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me” (John 14:1).

The opinions expressed were those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the ownership or management of Chadds Ford Live. We welcome opposing viewpoints. Readers may comment in the comments section or they may submit a Letter to the Editor to: editor@chaddsfordlive.com

 

About Rev. Marcos O. Almonte

Rev. Marcos O. Almonte is senior pastor at Brandywine Baptist Church, the oldest Baptist Church west of Philadelphia. Pastor Marcos is a graduate of Palmer Theological Seminary with more than 10 years working with families with an expertise in theology, trauma and addictions. Pastor Marcos and his wife Mary have three children, Carmen, Joseph, and Lincoln.

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